This invention relates to the production of an aqueous paint from a plurality of premixed compositions which include a pigment, a dispersant thickening agent, and low resin content and high resin content aqueous components.
The traditional manufacture of paint has utilized processes which continuously fill containers with a neutral or base color at the central facility. The containers are transported to the point of sale and stored until resale. The transport and storage in the individual containers adds significantly to the cost of the sold product for it is necessary to inventory a wide variety of paints having different finish characteristics to satisfy consumer demand. For example, the finishes offered for sale range from the traditional flat paint through varying resin compositions up to a high gloss finish. Inventory is maintained for all the different finishes at the point of sale by the merchant.
The manufacture of point at the central facility can be either a batch process or an extended continuous mixing process. The process typically calls for mixing a pigment containing ground titanium dioxide along with a thickener, a viscosity controlling agent and resin added to the water base. The pigment composition is a composition with a high percentage of solids suspended in water. Storage for any significant period of time of a premixed pigment composition typically results in settling and a non-uniform distribution of constituents throughout the premix. Consequently, manufacturing process are designed to limit the residence time in premixing containers in order to promote the manufacture of more uniform products.
The present invention is directed to the provision of premixed aqueous compositions which can be used to provide a paint mixture of varying finish characteristics at the point of sale. Thus, the merchant distributing the paint composition made from the subject premixed compositions need only maintain inventory of four compositions. The particular compositions which are the subject of the invention exhibit stable characteristics during storage in their respective reservoirs.